What does a deer give?

Author: Manoharan Rathinam

My 4-year-old son has a peculiar way of integrating & reinforcing learning. He learns something and asks me questions to see if my answers match his. Many a times he forces me to accept his answer. Like other parents, sometimes, I give up :).

Few days ago, he asked me, “Dad where does a parrot live?” I replied saying parrots live on trees. He vehemently disagreed, saying parrots live in a cage. I attempted explaining further but he had his textbook as an alibi – it had a picture of a parrot in a cage. I persevered. I tried telling him how parrots end up in cages – hopeful as I was, I saw no success.

Yesterday, he threw another question at me, this one a tad more difficult to answer. He asked, “What does a deer give?” I was spell-bound. I asked him why he was asking such a question. He replied, “Dad, cows give milk, sheep give wool – so what does a deer give?”

What are we teaching our kids? Are we stereotyping the way we want them to see this world? We are infusing a thought in the young minds to make them believe that the purpose of existence of all lives on this earth is to give something or the other to human beings. We teach team to see all lives and natural resources as mere consumables.

It’s time kids know the right answers. “What does a deer give?” Do you have an answer?

A Thought Leader at Prashna and a nature enthusiast at heart, Mano has invested nine years in to Sales & Marketing Management and over nine years in the Human Resource function. His raison d'être can be summed up in one statement – to make people see their hidden potential. While he isn't nurturing and working towards accomplishing this dream, you'd probably find him scuba-diving or paragliding some place.